My Nonprofit Reviews

As a member of The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee Board of Directors, I am enormously proud to be a part of this outstanding organization! TES is providing superb national leadership in the humane and scientifically sound care of captive elephants. Every time I meet with the caregivers, veterinarians, office staff and fellow Board members, I am reminded of what an outstanding team is working collaboratively to enhance the care of the elephants at TES.

TES is an extraordinarily challenging endeavor: acquiring the land, providing the strong protective fencing, building the barns, recruiting the care staff with both dedication and knowledge, creating the educational programs, developing relationships with the community and regulatory authorities, attracting skilled veterinarians and elephant husbandry leaders, among many others, as well as raising the funding to permit all this good work to happen.

To all this, the commitment of the CEO and staff is both passionate and exemplary. The "girls" thrive in this environment of dedicated caring and competence. They arrive often unwanted, ill, aging and physically compromised. They are renewed, have their medical needs attended to, are comfortable in their heated barns in inclement weather and find joy in exploring the forest and ponds when the sun shines - as it so often does in Hohenwald.

All is done with gentle persuasion; the elephants live in a free-choice environment. This takes great skill and understanding by the caregivers. In all, TES represents the highest standard for captive elephant care in America. This is a profound accomplishment. The welcome mat is out for further elephants to join our happy girls.